Dark closure



F. w. SWQRMSTEDT DARK CLOSURE Filed March 15, 1940 rfv-*2 f5 April 6, l1943.

L und wNlhlHlwHmlu INVENTOR. FRANK W @woe/varcat- ATTORNEYS.

aww-m Patented Apr. 6, 1943 UNITED DARK cLosURE Frank W. Swormstedt,Fort Thomas, Ky., assignor to Higgin Products, Inc., Newport, Ky., a

corporation of Delaware Application March 15, 1940, Serial No. 324,222

2 Claims.

My invention is addressed to the -problem of producing shades which willeffectively darken a room, not in the sense of such light-tight closuresas would have to be employed over the windows of a photographic darkroom, but in the sense of a shade of opaque character to be drawn overthe window opening after the manner of an ordinary window shade, andequipped with means for excluding light around the edges of theclosures.

Such closures are of utility in school rooms, lecture halls and thelike, where substantial darkening is desired without absolutelighttightness, and at low cost.

'Ifhe problem is one of providing a structure to be used with a shade ofordinary construction and employing the ordinary spring roller. Anaspect of the problem is the provision of a structure capable ofquantity production in standardized form, but which is adjustable to fitWindow ,openings of a very wide variety of sizes. The exigencies of theproblem include the provision of a housing for the roller suiiicient tocut off light passing between the window opening and the roller, whichhousing must be adjustable, the provision of side guides to enclose theedges of the closure and prevent substantial light leakage there, whichguides must likewise be adjustable, and the provision of a reinforcementintermediate the length of the closure .when drawn, which reinforcementmust likewise be adjustable, all at the minimum of expense.

' The primary object of my invention is the solution of these problems.Other objects will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to oneskilled in the art upon reading these speciflcations. Reference is madeto the drawing wherein:

I Figure 1 is an elevational view of a window opening equipped with myclosure.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View through the roller and housing taken alongthe lines 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through a guide and a portion of the closuretaken along the lines 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat similar sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 ofFig. 1 and showing the coaction of the reinforcement with the guides.

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the end members on the housing.

Figs. '7 and 8 are respectively perspective views of the end portions ofthe lateral walls of the roller housing.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an end of the reinforcement.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view through the reinforcement taken along thelines lll-I0 of Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention, in its general aspect, I provide endmembers for a roller housing, which members incorporate the usualsupports for a spring roller of the ordinary type. To form the lateralWalls of the roller housing, I provide telescoping members havingengagement with the said end pieces. I provide side guides of telescopicformation adapted to be acljusted to the height of the window opening,and I provide a reinforcement also of telescopic construction, havingengagement with the side guides and adapted to rest upon an upperportion of the lower telescopic section of the side guides.` The closureitself is preferably of the ordinary Window shade construction, thespring roller being that in current use, and the material of the shadebeing opaque. The usual draw bar is employed and need not be modifiedeX- Icept for the attachment of small and simple means for raising thereinforcement. Thus, I provide a series of parts which may be used withvshades and rollers of current manufacture Where dark closures aredesired, and may even be separately sold-and applied to shades alreadyinstalled.

In Figure 1, I have shown a window opening generally at I provided witha shade 5 on a roller 6. As shown in Fig. 2 the roller is of the usualhollow Wooden construction l with the interior spring 8. It is providedwith the usual end pieces 9.

Instead of employing the usual shade roller brackets, I incorporate theholding portions of the bracket structures in end Wall pieces for aroller housing. These end pieces are illustrated, in one form, in Figs.5 and 6. Each comprises a body Il having an angularly related attachmentportion I 2. The body Il is shaped to form anmend `of a housingenclosing the roller. To the bodies Il I attach respectively the holderI3 for the circular projection on one of the end pieces 9 and the holderI4 for the flattened projection at the other end piece of the springroller. While I have shown these holders separately formed and attachedas by spot welding to the bodies l I, it will be within the skill of theworker in the art to form the housing end pieces by extending so as toinclude congurations acting as the holders, if this be desired.

For the lateral walls of the roller housing, I employ the telescopicmembers l5 and` I6 ably. The members I and I6 have portions vI9r It willbe underv and respectively struck inwardly to form sockets forengagement of prongs or arms on the housing end pieces. I

shown at 2l in Figs. 5 and 6'. f The side guides are sheet metal membersof generally U shaped cross section and of telescopic form. An uppersection Z2 is made to slide over the body of a lower section 23 of eachlguide; but the side edges of the lower guide part are turned back overthe edges of the upper guide part as shown at 24 in Fig. 3. The' backleg of the U shape of each section is usually made the longer, and isperforated at intervals for the reception of attachment screws 25. Thefront'leg hasmatching perforations 26, but of a diameter large enough topermit the passage of the heads of the screws. Both edges of each guidepart may be rolled or beaded if desired, and still the interttingrelation essentially illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 obtained. The guidesections are of such character that they can be cut tov desired lengthsduring installation, so that the upper end o'f the lower guide sectionwill come approximately midway of the window opening for a purposehereinafter to be described.

lIn intallations of the type to which this invention is addressed, it isnot ordinarily necessary to provide a guide or closure means at thebottom of the window opening for lightetight interengagement with thedraw bar of the shade.

It is, however, usually requisite to provide reiniorcement for the shadecloth midwayV of the window opening to prevent the closure from beingblown inwardly and out of the guides if the window is open. I providesuch a reinforcement in the form lof a telescopic, hollow bar formed ofbent or rolled sheet metal parts of a cross section such as that shownin Figure 10. The outerv part 2l slidably embraces the inner part 28, sothat the bar is adjustable as to length. The bar is intended to ride upand down with the closure along the outer leg of the upper side guidepart 2'2. Each section has welded to it near its outer end an angularlybent piece of sheet m'e'tal 29, an end of which presents a tongue 36adapted to ride inside the outer leg of the upper guide section. Thereinforcement bar is thus guided upon the upper side' guide section.

The relationship of the bar and tongue 13'@ is such, however, that thebar will not pass the upper end ofthe lower side guide section. Thus,when the shade is drawn, the bar occupies the position shown in Fig. 1.Small, k angularly These prongs or Aarms are shaped feet 3| are attachedto the draw bar 32 of the shade closure, as may be done by riveting orbolting. When the shade is raised, these feet contact the reinforcingbar and carry it upwardly with the draw bar so as to leave the Windowopening unobstructed. In some installations I may desire to providelatches 33 on the sill for engagement with the feet. By the meansheretofore described, and equivalents of them I have achieved aninexpensive structure which nevertheless is eiective for the purpose setforth. It can be made in a single size, and adapted tothe specic size ofall window openings of ordinary dimensions'. It comprises few parts; andthese are simple. It employs ordinary closures and spring rollers.Modifications, especially as to the shape of the elements involved, mayof course be made in my invention without departing from the spirit ofit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire 'to'secure by Letters" Patent, is:

l. In a housing for a spring roller, substantially semi-circular endwall members each hav ing an attachment foo'tgsaid end wall membersshaped to provide respectively pivotal and nonpivotal support for aspring roller, and a pair of telescopic sections forming' lateral wallportions of said housing, said sections having sockets on their ends,and said end wall members having pins to enter said sockets whereby thesaid lateral wall portions of said housing may be removed withoutdisturbing the said end wall members.

2. In a dark closure, in combination with a spring roller, shadec'lothand draw bar, a roller housing having lateral walls formed asintertting, telescopic parts substantially' U-shaped in Vcrass-sectionand end-wall members having peripheral shape coinciding with'thecross-sectional shape of said parts and being attachable to a windowframe member, said end-wall members having means for attachment to theends of said parts and shaped to provide respectively a pivotal and anon-pivotal support for said spring roller, telescopic side guides forengaging the edges of said shade cloth as Vit is withdrawn from saidroller housing, said side guides each comprising a pair of interiitting,telescopicparts substantially U-shaped in cross-section, the lower oneof said parts of each pair having an edge portion reversely bent aboutthe Yedge portion of the upper one of said parts, and a reinforcing barior the shade cloth slidable on the upper part ci each of said sideguides and adapted to rest upon the upper end of the lower part oi eachof said side guides, said reinforcing bar comprising two intertting,telescopic parts, each of said parts having at one end means adapted toengage within the upper side guide part, said draw bar having feetthereon adapted to' engage and raise said reinforcing bar.

FRANK W. SWORMSTD'I.

